Fuyu No Arashi (TAJ Arc)
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT: Akireiki (TAJ Arc) Step One Continued Blade Two: Fuyu No Arashi Seireitou picked up another of the blades laying down on the courtyard's center, and drew it. Then, as if it were a lance, he aimed for John and threw it, forcing it to stab him right where the first Zanpakutō struck him. The blade met its target, throwing John off balance. He smirked. "It hurts, but I just need to accept the..." He coughed, with more blood spewing out. "What the?" "Remember, you betrayed Fuyu No Arashi's trust by letting her get hurt in battle," said Akireiki. "You need to regain that trust." John glanced over to Seireitou. "Any tips on apologizing to a woman you've hurt?" "My overly sensitive perspective on the female gender would say to avoid commenting on her breast size, compliment her, and...deny, deny, deny." Seireitou remarked in a rather straightforward manner. Just like before, white light began to flash around the young John... "What good does that do me?!" yelled John as he was engulfed by the radiance. He found himself alone in an ice field. He could see no end to it. But with that, he could feel a tugging at his pant leg. "J...John...?" resounded the voice of a young girl, standing barefoot in the snowy tundra beside him. John looked down. His eyes widened. "Fu...Fuyu No Arashi?" He only had his Shihakushō, and the bitter weather was getting to him. He held the girl as close as possible to him. "Are you Fuyu No Arashi?." With a growl, she bit his leg fiercely. "I told you, my name is Yukihime! Yukihime!" she retorted loudly. "OUCH!" He rubbed his leg. "S-sorry, Yukihime." He took notice to her feet. "Aren't you cold? It's gotta be below freezing out here." She turned her head to the side, despite shivering, to show a more annoyed face. "As if you care! John no baka!" John didn't deny it. He remembered his experience with Akireiki. He tore off his sleeves, fashioning them into makeshift boots by tying the sleeve openings tight and making makeshift belts to keep the boots trap all the heat in. "Here, Put these on. Your feet will be warmer." A blush came across her face, despite her attempt at keeping an angry face. "Fine, whatever..." she remarked, placing her feet into the makeshift boots he had made for her. But she couldn't help but shiver a bit more, comically hugging her own body to keep warm. The cold was beginning to get to John. He frantically searched the area for any place where he and Yukihime could get warm. "Yukihime, is there any other place here that we can seek refuge?" "H-How should I k-k-know...? This is your w-world..! But I t-think there i-i-is a mountain someplace n-n.. n-nearby where the sun s-shines..." she attempted to mutter, the cold making it difficult to even stand in place. John gazed to the north, and indeed, there was a mountain that appeared better in a place like Yosemite Valley than a tundra. He could also tell that Yukihime was slowly freezing to death. He took off his Shihakusho remainder and put it around Yukihime. Almost as if there was divine comedic intervention, a gust of wind came John's way, causing him to shiver from the cold."H-how about th-this? I'll c-carry you to the m-mountain so you c-can stay w-warmer." Yukihime looked away with an annoyed look as she sighed, succumbing to the cold as she held her hands up to him. "F-... Fine... C-Carry me there, John no b-ba... baka..." He tenderly picked up Yukihime, carrying her like a princess, holding her close to his chest. "Comfortable?" he asked somewhat nervously. "Hmph!" she responded, crossing her arms as she pouted and looked away from his line of sight. "Just b-b.. bring me t-to the m-m-mountain!" "I will," said John with confidence. With that, the two headed towards where their destination lay ahead. "This Is Only A Mountain" Harsh winds blew towards John and Yukihime as the two progressed towards the mountain. John tried his best to shelter Yukihime from the stinging cold, but he couldn't cover her enough to make a difference. His own lack of a shirt got to him as far as sensitivity to the cold; he had never been one for winter. Nevertheless, he pressed on to ensure that the girl in his arms would get warm from this horrendous weather. She could no longer voice her objections, responding by merely shivering from the cold. Despite this, all seemed peaceful between the two. But in the shadows of this tundra... darkness began lurking around. Creatures casting shadows... John's eyes darted, well, they moved as fast as they could while frozen temperatures slowed his body. He treaded forward to the mountain, hoping the feeling would pass. Without hesitation, several wolf-like creatures jumped from the snow piles, jumping high into the air while some merely stared down John, snarling and preparing to attack. John evaded some of the wolves; one got a claw swipe on his back while the other nearly took a bite out of Yukihime instead ripping a piece of flesh from John's right forearm. He gritted his teeth but held in a cry of pain. He surveyed the pack as quickly as he could, noticing an opening leading in the direction of the mountain. He readied himself to make a mad dash then pushed off the snow with all his might, racing past the growling beasts. Even with that space available, the wolves continued leaping for the man with angered roars, charging at John. Yukihime tried to regain composure as she looked at him. "J-John... are you o-okay?!" John nodded quickly, dodging wolves left and right. They got a few hits in, but nothing that could impede his progress. "D-don't wor-r-ry about-t me," said John as intelligibly as he could. "Ac-c-ctually, hav-ve some c-concern for m-me. I n-need t-to get you to s-safety. Can't l-let you g-get hurt-t ag-g-g-gain!" As the wolves continued their assault, John's stride became greater, reaching greater speeds. However, it seemed as though the mountain did not get any closer. She bit her lip, staring up at her master with a mixed expression. "John no baka... Just let me go here...! Save yourself!" she yelled. The wolves continued their assault, as strange creatures began to arise out of the snow, appearing as beings crafted from ice itself. As if the cold didn't mean anything he shouted out, "No way! I'm not going to do that." An attacking wolf took a bite out of his right calf. John winced, but he powered through the agony. "You trusted me to bring you to that mountain, and I'm not going to betray you." Another tore his left sandal off. The snow stuck to his sock and began to melt then begin to freeze, but John ran unabated. "I will get you there even if these ice flea-bitten mongrels tear me limb from limb!" "John-kun..." mumbled Yukihime, watching as her master shrugged off the life-threatening attacks by the creatures to protect her, as she shut her eyes, a massive burst of wind appeared before them as it blew the wolves away almost instantaneously. "Whoa! Was that..." John looked down at Yukihime. "you, Yukihime-chan?" She had nodded softly, her eyes closed. "You...You've proven to be a worthy master...John-kun." she had finally admitted to him. John stared in amazement, then smiled softly. "I'm glad." The reality of the arctic world hit him again. "Worthy or not, we're still f-freezing out h-here." He glared towards the mountain. "And IT d-doesn't seem to be getting an-ny c-closer." His eyes widened as much as they could without inducing snow blindness. Wait a second...maybe... He faced the mountain, strong in his stance. He then uttered a simple command. "Move." Upon his command, the snow storm began to part as the snow itself parted, forming a singular path straight up the mountain. Yukihime expressed a soft smile. "You've finally...learned to how to use my power, John-kun." John grinned. "That was pretty cool." He ran full force to the mountain base, reaching it in less than a minute. A natural stairway led him up to a hidden spring in the side of the mountain, leading to the central chamber. Even in the cave, it was warm like spring. He peered into the water, only seeing a perfect mirror of himself carrying the petite snow princess. "All right, now that we're here, what do we do now?" The young spirit had stood to her feet, a whirlwind of energy surrounding her as she became taller and far more mature in appearance, growing to an adult form. She faced him softly and in an older tone of voice, "Take this." She gave him a snowflake-shaped hairpiece. "Dip it into the spring there." John looked over to the pool. He also took notice of a small weight on his shoulders. His clothes had returned to normal. Rather, they felt as though they were in better condition than before. He glanced over to Yukihime and she just smiled. He returned the gesture and did as the spirit commanded. Upon the hairpiece touching the water, a rippling effect occurred. Spiritual energy began to flow out of the ornament, causing the water itself to glow bright white. "I accept you now, John-kun... You now possess the power of Fuyu No Arashi." she spoke as she resonated with an intense light blue spiritual energy. The two sources of energy began to flow out like a river of water, surrounding John in a torrent as his entire vision became blurred, as if he were underwater. Moments after, however, the experienced vanished altogether, as John once more stood before Seireitou. The blade that was piercing his chest for the second time had disappeared, just like before. "So it seems we're half-way through, John-chan." the silver-haired mentor had mused. "Can we take a break?" John coughed up more blood, nearly spitting on his master who had sidestepped the red shower. "Never mind...Let's keep going." NEXT INSTALLMENT: Haru Hyōki (TAJ Arc)